There are five obstacles that can commonly arise in our meditation practice (and in life!), and they were described thousands of years ago in the ancient meditation texts.

They can throw us off track, creating a very unsettled mind and, at worst, leading us to give up entirely.

They are:

• Desire or craving and wanting.
• Aversion - not wanting.
• Lethargy.
• Restlessness.
• Doubt.

We explore these obstacles in greater detail through my 6-month mindfulness program after Mindful in May here. It’s a truly incredible opportunity to continue to deepen your learning beyond May.

But we will explore the first obstacle - desire or craving - today because it’s a “big” one! 

Desire or craving is the force that makes this present moment feel unsatisfying. We long for things to be different from how they are right now.

This is one of the common obstacles that arises in our meditation practice, and during meditation, we have the opportunity to practise observing our desire or cravings rather than acting upon them.

Today when you meditate, be aware of the different cravings or desires that come up.

These might be:

• A desire for a thought to go away.
• A desire for a feeling to go away.
• An urge or craving to get up and do something.
• An itch.

See if, rather than acting upon the craving or desire, you can just sit with that feeling and observe it.

Through focusing our attention on the feeling of craving, rather than the object that we crave, mindfulness becomes the surfboard that allows us to ride the wave of craving with awareness, rather than an unconscious tumble into old habits that keep us stuck.

Our cravings offer us another opportunity to put mindfulness into practice in everyday life.  Try these mindful ABCs to meet your cravings with mindfulness.

In everyday life, these cravings may arise as the urge or desire to:

• Check social media
• Eat chocolate
• Drink alcohol
• Avoid being alone

Just start to become aware of what personal cravings have a hold on you, and see if you can practise mindfully observing them.

Here are four steps to managing your cravings mindfully:

A = Acknowledge that a craving is present.

B = Be open and breathe. Be open to the experience of craving and allow it to be exactly as it is. Don't  push it away. Just bring your attention to your breath and use the outbreath to release any tension in your body that may be associated with the emotion.

C = Curiously explore. Bring curiosity to the physical feeling of craving. Where do you experience craving in your body? 

Stay with the feeling of craving and notice how it naturally rises, peaks and falls over time. Imagine it as a wave in the ocean: building, reaching its peak, and then disappearing back into the calm water.

If you are participating in the Facebook group, share what you notice after experimenting with this practice, or head over to Instagram, making sure you hashtag with #mindfulinmay so we can find your post.